Imperious Islands
by LauraRasmussen
Summary: Rashel and Quinn are together, fighting a war that only they can battle through and emerge victorious. On a deserted island full of spiteful vamps, they risk all to defeat a militia of bloodthirsty leaches, who threaten the existence of the Wild Powers.


**Imperious Islands**

~Chapter 1~

"Ready?"

Rashel looked up at the boy speaking to her, staring into his dark eyes. The chiseled lines of his face were showed signs of utter wisdom; considering he had been alive for hundreds of years. The glint in his eyes was steeled yet tender- a side she only ever got to see. His mouth was set at a solemn line, but a small smile flashed momentarily at her.

"Let's roll."

* * *

><p>The smell of oceanic salt lingered in the air, and a slight breeze wafted through the area. Rashel stopped, tilting her head back. She thought of the technique Thea had taught her: relax, focus on what you want to know, and listen.<p>

Using her senses to the best of her ability, she released all tension in her muscles. _Focus on what you want to know…I want to know if this area is abandoned. Are there guards here that may hurt me?_

Rashel's ears immediately picked up the sound of footsteps growing closer. _I'll take that as a no to abandoned and a yes to guards._

Turning quickly, she veered to a direct left, ducking under a public bench. Rashel folded her legs under her, squeezing as far back underneath the bench as the enclosed space allowed. She watched two pairs of feet begin to stroll by, and then stop right in front of the bench.

"You sense something?" A male voice asked.

"Yeah, the fact my mind is screaming with exhaustion. We've been tracing this thing all night; I say we take a break." A second male voice spoke this time, a whining tone showing through.

"I suppose it's true…we'll just stay on this bench for a few minutes. Worst case scenario is we're caught, and lie our way outta it."

_Shit,_ Rashel thought. If they looked under the bench, she was in for it.

"Any idea where it went, Remey?" Rashel listened intently, wondering what he meant by 'it'. She took a mental note of the name Remey, determined to find out what she could when she met up with Quinn again.

"No clue. It's close, though. Close enough I can get a better read…definitely human." At this, the man Rashel presumed to be Remey stood up.

_Double shit,_ she thought. _They've been tracing _me!

Cursing herself at not being more aware, Rashel closed her eyes and opened her mind, reaching out to her soulmate. She reached out, searching for his presence. Willing her thoughts into a message to send to him, so he would know she was in trouble.

_Quinn, I've been traced all night, and I didn't notice._

Quinn sent an immediate reply, and she sensed him coming towards the area she was in.

_I'm coming. We'll hide for a bit, and head back out once we're sure we're not being followed any longer. Where are you?_

_ Don't come here,_ she sent quickly. _Two men- I think they're vampires- are right here. I'm hiding from them underneath a bench…which they just so happen to be sitting on…_

She could almost hear him sighing. _I'll be back at the docks then. Wait until they leave, and meet me. _Don't_ put up a fight unless they find you. Tonight's our only chance to scout this place. If you're caught, we can't come back; they'll move the entire operation._

Rashel narrowed her eyes. Oh, she'd put up a fight no matter _what_. _I'll meet you when I can,_ she sent, making no promises.

Contemplating her options, Rashel peered out at the now-standing Remey and the other man, who was still seated. Chances were, they were both vampires, and likely extremely strong ones, considering they were guards.

She slowly moved her right arm around and behind her back, gripping the handle of a small dagger in her back pocket. Pulling it out, Rashel used both hands to convert it to a lethal wooden weapon.

Twisting the handle off, a metal blade was instantly revealed. She placed the handle over the silver bladed end, locking it into place with a small _click_.

"What was that?" Remey spoke, turning towards his partner.

"No clue, but it was close!" The other man stood up now, turning in a circle.

Several moments of silence passed, and, suddenly, Remey was in front of Rashel's face, crouched on the ground to stare into her eyes. "What have we here?" he asked. "A human? How…_frightening_."

Not wasting a second, Rashel snapped her arm forward, ramming the wooden dagger into one of Remey's eye sockets.

He wheeled back, screaming in pain whilst clutching the side of his face. The eyeball Rashel had stabbed hung grotesquely near his chin. "You'll pay for that, runt!" he screamed.

Taking another leap at him, Rashel slashed down his middle before he could dodge, somersaulting to a stop and bounding into a standing position once more. Both men came at her-they were definitely vampires, Rashel noted-and she jumped backwards at the last second, stepping back to watch both vamps smack into one another.

While they were dazed, Rashel slipped her bokken out of the waist of her jeans. It came out of its sheath with a clean swipe, and she positioned it in front of her just in time to see Remey charge forward. He slammed into Rashel from the front, burying his beefy body to the hilt of her bokken.

She thrust him off, kicking him off her blade and onto the ground with her foot. The minute he fell on the grass, however, he dissipated into ash.

Dumbstruck, Rashel stood there for a moment, idiotically pondering why and how that had happened. This gave the other man time to pounce on her, knocking the bokken from her grasp.

"You're going _down_ for that, girlie. You're going to regret…" he stopped mid-sentence, listening intently. Rashel seized the opportunity, kicking him off with both feet and leaping upright.

Sliding a second dagger out of her boot, she glanced up to locate the second vampire, but stopped short. Her eyes caught his body falling back onto the ground, turning to dust as Remey's had. Her bokken suddenly rattled to a stop after being thrown to her feet.

Bending over to pick it up, she spoke with a low voice. "You're angry."

"However could you guess that?" His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Quinn…"

"Don't. I _told_ you not to put up a fight; that this was our only chance. Someone's bound to have sensed their deaths. Them turning to ash was a signal. Their bodies turned to dust, but waves of their power escaped. Whoever is in charge knows they're dead, and they also know there are intruders. We need to get out of here. Now."

Rashel watched Quinn turn on his heel and begin to walk away, alert and tense. Rashel, however, didn't budge.

"What would _you_ have done?" she asked.

Quinn stopped walking, but didn't turn her way. "There is a major difference between what you did and what I would have done. I'm glad to hear you can handle two vamps. But it's not safe, especially not here."

"What does it matter? I defeated them. I'm still in one piece," Rashel challenged.

He laughed, scoffing. "You do realize you're bleeding on your head?"

Reaching up to touch her hairline, Rashel brought her hand down to her eyes. Something crimson and coppery stuck to her fingers. "It would be from the bench," she told him. "When I leaped out at Remey."

At the mention of the name, Quinn turned abruptly. "Remey?"

"Yeah. The vamp you killed called the other that. Why?" Rashel asked this cautiously, sensing he was getting at something.

"Then you just killed Remey Sulsur. He's been wanted for weeks. He's extremely powerful, and if he was acting merely as a guard, we _really_ need to get out of here."

The air surrounding the two suddenly changed, and a fierce cry pierced the night. "Over there! Intruders!"

"Run ahead. Get to Nilsson. I'll hold them off, and make my way back to the safe house when I can," Quinn instructed.

"I'm not leaving you, John," Rashel spoke quickly, a sharp tone entering her voice.

A low voice spoke sharply, sending chills down Rashel's spine. "Then it looks like you're both in for a night of hell, aren't you?"


End file.
